Report From PIA – August 19
OK, so we know that daily blogging isn’t a shortcut to weight loss and wealth. Ditto gardening. But there are parallels to be drawn between writing a daily blog, tending a garden and cultivating life. Here are a few things I’m reminded of:
#1. There is value in daily attention. Committing to writing a thoughtful post every day forces me to be reflective about the garden and what’s happening in my life. Without my vow to blog daily, a week or more could go by without much notice. The garden benefits from this same daily attention, be it watering, pulling a few weeds, or focusing on the early stages of an insect or disease problem. This daily awareness makes a difference.
#2. Pushing yourself produces results. This is related to #1, in that showing up daily does necessitate focusing on the subject at hand. Beyond this requirement, however, it’s easy to see that when we force ourselves to do just a bit more, the outcome changes.
#3. It’s important to have the courage and faith to begin walking down a path… When writing, planting a garden or building a life, there are no guarantees. We’re often called upon to start on a journey without any idea if that voyage will lead us to a rose garden, a desert, or into disaster. Having the faith to set out in a direction, even if that’s not the course we settle on in the end or the outcome we desire, is a life-affirming act.
#4. It’s all better when shared; we’re here together, wanting to be united in our common experiences, hopes and desires. We all kill plants and struggle to create beautiful landscapes and meaningful, joyful lives. As we commiserate about our failures and disappointments, we also lift each other up and celebrate our successes and exertions.
When we commit to building something - a blog, garden, relationship or business - we can't know where that path we're traveling will lead.
